“The calibre of your doctors is exceptional,” said Keshav Singhal, programme director, College of Healthcare Innovations, UK as a team from Wales conducted interviews to 80-85 doctors for a two-year fellowship in Wales in the city.
This is the first time in four years that the interview for the fellowship meant for Indian doctors was being held in Chennai. Two days of interview were held in Delhi covering doctors in north India. The interview was held recently in Chennai, he said, adding that most of the doctors were from Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu.
100 fellowships
“About 180 doctors are interviewed, and we take 100 of them for the fellowship,” Prof. Singhal said during the sidelines of the launch of a stem cell transplant unit at SIMS (SRM Institutes for Medical Science) Hospitals recently.
On the occasion, SIMS Hospitals signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the College of Healthcare Innovations, UK to develop educational and academic cooperation.
Vaughan Gething AM, Minister for Health and Social Services, Wales, UK, said this was the fourth year of the medical training initiative. “The programme has been a really important activity for Wales and for India too. Hundred doctors from India are coming into the National Health Service, Wales every year. They work for two years and provide direct patient care,” he said.
Prof. Singhal said the doctors, who completed MS/MD, are selected for the fellowship and trained in surgery, medicine and various specialities. “We are able to teach them special techniques and a system-based approach or evidence-based approach. When they come back to India, and apply it into their practice, the patients will benefit,” he said.
T.N.’s attitude
Noting that excellence in institutes should be disseminated worldwide for the benefit of patients, he said, “This is where UK, in particular Wales, and India, in particular Tamil Nadu which is an extremely progressive State, could collaborate. We have seen Tamil Nadu has got an attitude that ‘we can do it and we will do it' which is in marked contrast with a number of other States.”
“It is a natural synergy for both of us to come together and see where we can learn from each other. Wales has a number of things that we can offer to Tamil Nadu. At the same time, there are things that you do that we can take back to our country and implement to provide better healthcare for our patients,” he added.
Ravi Pachamoothoo, chairman of SRM Group, Raju Sivasamy, vice president, SIMS Hospitals and Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, director of Institute of Oncology, SIMS spoke.
